Henry c



n@ o UU H. C. SWAN.

SPRING POR VEHICLES. 5

Patented June 21 .zi.l T

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HENRY C. ySWAN, OF OSHKOSH, VISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HERBERT M. CLARK, OF SAME PLAGE.

SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,355, dated June 21, 1887.

Application tilcdNovcmber24,1886. Serial No.2l9,821, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. SWAN, ofv

Oshkosh,in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Springs for Vehicles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

My invention relates to an improvement in carriage-springs.

The object is to provide a durable and yielding spring which shall be productive of ease and comfort to the occupant of the vehicle.

A further object is toprovide a light and simple spring which maybe quickly regulated to yield equally well with either a light or heavy load, and also to furnish aspring which may be put on the market at a low cost.

A further object is to provide means for attaching the body of vehicles to either the end springs or side bars with equal yielding effect.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carriage-box with my improved springs applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 is a modification.

A represents a carriagebox of ordinary construction, and B B' are a pair of elliptical springs secured, respectively, to the forward and rear ends of the runninggear, to which the box A is yieldingly'secured by means of my improved spring.

Two bars of spring metal, lpreferably round in section, are loosely secured by means of a link or shackle, a, to the opposite ends of the front elliptical spring, B. These barsextend backward for a suitable distance, forming the arms b, which, from the length of the spring B,to the ends of which these arms are attached, and in order that the arms should be out of the way of the wagon-box, are located below and outside ofthe latter. After these arms b are formed in the bars the latter are bent inwardly and to approach each other, forming the intermediate arms,c, thence backward'and slightly downward below the plane of arms b, and

thence completely around and terminating approximately in the same direction as beforc,j

but in a higher plane, thus forming a complete spiral,d, which latter rests in or approximately in a horizontal plane, the two ends e e of the bars being side by side. laterally perforated and pivoted to an eyebolt, C, which is loosely mounted in the bottom .of the body A, where its upper end is screwthreaded, and an adjusting-nut, D, adapted to draw the ends e e', respectively, against or away from thebottom of the body A. The object of this particular construction is to, regulate the spring for heavy or light loads, for by tightening the nut D the spring is rendered more rigid and better adapted to sustain a heavy load, as the boxis given a greater dis tance in which to spring up and down, while,

by loosening the nut D the ends e e' are proportionatel y removed from the bottomof the body A,loweringthe latter and renderingt-hesprings less rigid but equally yielding for a light load.

The intermediate arms,c,are loosely secured to'the bottom of the body A by the brackets or straps 7L, and the bearings t between this point and the spiral (l hold the intermediate arms, c, in position beneath the body, while they allow its free torsional action. The straps h and bearings t' act as fulcrums for the arms of the springs; and by the peculiar arrangement of parts described it is evident that any jolting in the rnnninggear not counteracted by the elasticity of the elliptical springs B B', instead of being transmitted to the carriagebody, which it is desired to avoid, is compensated by the torsional elasticity of the spiral d, located on the oppositeside of the fulcrum,so that comparatively little movement is caused at the fulcrum, and hence to the body, to which the latter is rigidly secured.

At the opposite or rear end of the box, and secured to elliptical spring B', a similar system of springs as that just described is provided.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the intermediate arms,c, extend longitudinally ofthe body A, and the ends of arms b, instead of being secured to the front and rear elliptical springs, B B', as in the fermer construction, are secured to the side bars, F F', respectively, the effect being substantially the same as in the first construct-ion, since in this case the side These en ds e c' are IOO bars, F F, are in turn rigidly secured on the elliptical springs B B.

From the construction disclosed in the description it will be seen that by means of this system of springs a carriage body might be secured to most any form of running-gear with good effect.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the vform and arrangement of the several parts described. For example,the spirals d might be double or the mode of attaching the system to the body might be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not Wish to limit myself to the particular construction herein` set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi l. The combination, with the body ofa vehielo and a set of spriugs,eonsisting,esscntially. ofthe bars of metal bent near the middle and each terminating at one end in a spiral the coil or coils of which rest approximately in a horizontal pla-ne, of the straps and bearings forming fulcrnms for the bars, and a' bolt loosely secured to the spiral end for varying the contact of the latter with the vehicle-body, substantially as set forth.

2. The eombinatiomwith the body, its running-gcar,and a bar of metal, constructed substantially as described, suitably fulerulned to the body and loosely linked to the ruiminggear at one end, of an eyebolt pivotallyjoining the spiral end of the bar to the vehiclebody, and an adjusting-nut adapted to screw on and off the bolt7 substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subseribin g witnesses.`

HENRY C. SWAN.

ftnessesz Gno. R. FRASER, F. W. llonen'ros. 

